Team

This project brings together undergraduate AND GRADUATE students from UC Berkeley's Energy & Resources Group, College of Environmental Design, College of Engineering, Applied Science & Technology Program, AND SCHOOL OF LAW.

WHO WE ARE

IAN BOLLIGERM.S./PH.D ENERGY & RESOURCES GROUPProject manager

Ian's work has involved applying mathematical modeling techniques to a variety of contexts, from interior convection in Venus to injury prevalence to sacrifice bunting in college baseball games. A graduate of Harvard University with a B.A. in Applied Mathematics and a focus in geophysics, he spent three years modeling health burden at the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation before coming to UC Berkeley. He is excited to have a hand in all aspects of the THIMBY project and is particularly enthusiastic about implementing the results of energy modeling and design into real, physical systems.

Oriya is a third year undergraduate student at UC Berkeley. As an environmental design student, he is interested in the intersection of sustainable design and economic empowerment in the urban setting. In the context of this project, Oriya is specifically interested in the potential scalability of tiny house communities as a sustainable solution for low income housing.

ZACH GIMAM.S./PH.D MECHANICAL ENGINEERINGENGINEERING director

Zach’s research involves advanced manufacturing for energy, specifically printable batteries. He has experience building structures and rainwater catchment systems as a previous project manager for Engineers Without Borders.

AJ GLASSMANB.A. URBAN STUDIESVideographer

AJ is a third year undergraduate at UC Berkeley. His past work in videography and digital media has involved nonfiction work with local community organizations including local access cable. AJ is excited to combine his skill-set in video production with his passion for learning new things and working with his hands. As an urban studies major, he is interested in the impact that tiny houses and tiny living have as alternatives to current land use patterns and as a potential opportunity for infill development.

Kenny’s research focuses on electronic properties of exotic new materials. He has experience with electronic circuitry and recently built a boat in his backyard.

CAROLINE KARMANNPH.D ARCHITECTURE / BUILDING SCIENCEDESIGN DIRECTOR

Caroline is a PhD Candidate in Building Science in Architecture. Her research focuses on indoor environmental quality for buildings using radiant systems. Before returning to graduate school, she has worked for 4 years at Transsolar Energietechnik where she specialized in daylight simulation and energy analysis. In the context of THIMBY project, Caroline is specifically interested in the design of indoor spaces and of the envelope.

DAVID ROTHBLUMB.S. CIVIL & ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERINGFINANCIAL OFFICER

David’s prior work has given him experience with construction project management and electrical systems. In addition to his major, David is studying energy engineering and public policy. Within the THIMBY project, he is excited about creating environmentally sustainable buildings and the potential scalability of the tiny house to confront challenges of affordable housing.

Amaia is a fourth year student studying Environmental Economics and Policy. While at Berkeley, she has been involved with the Zero Waste Team, The Green Initiative Fund, and BEACN, a student environmental consulting organization. Through her involvement and passion for energy and the environment, she's excited to connect THIMBY to the sustainability community at Cal as the Public Relations Representatives.

Sauming Seto M.B.A Haas School of BusinessLogistics Director

Sauming’s professional experience in consulting and project management has spanned a number of clients in the Fortune 500. As a graduate of the University of Illinois with a B.S. in Finance and a B.S. in Accountancy, she is interested in design and sustainability initiatives and participates in Sustainability and Smart Building service business development through her current experience in management consulting. At THIMBY, Sauming is excited to learn more about design, materials, the building process, and the scalability of the project for impacts on the social space.

Imran has almost 10 years experience working in the energy efficiency space at Rocky Mountain Institute, Johnson Controls, and Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. This work has spanned residential energy efficiency, commercial building control systems, redesign of large industrial facilities, and engineering education for radical resource efficiency.

LANEY SIEGNERM.A. ENERGY & RESOURCES GROUPSecretary, Agriculture Lead

Laney is an M.A. student in the Energy and Resources Group at UC Berkeley. She studied green urban design principles as an undergraduate at Tufts University, helped design a water storage system for an Engineers Without Borders project, and is an avid urban gardener interested in the use of plants and plant waste materials for energy provision.

ROOPIKA SUBRAMANIANJ.D. SCHOOL OF LAWcommunications + Policy director

Roopika's interests include healthy community planning, sustainable resource management, environmental justice, and energy law. Her work in California policy has spanned a variety of issues, including stormwater, climate adaptation, and energy efficiency. Roopika is currently a J.D. Candidate at Berkeley Law.

SARA TEPFERM.ARCHITECTURE/M.S. BUILDING SCIENCEDesign Team Member

Sara's interests include passive heating and cooling design and evaluation, energy efficiency, energy modeling tools for early design phases, and materials hazard assessment. Her current research is at the interface of architecture, public health, and chemistry, analyzing tools and metrics for characterizing hazard in building materials.

A grad­u­ate of Geor­gia Tech with a B.S in mechan­i­cal engi­neer­ing. A selec­tion of her work includes drilling water wells in Cen­tral Amer­ica, design­ing solar sys­tems for Yel­low­stone National Park, and water dis­tri­b­u­tion sys­tems in Cameroon. She began her work in fecal sludge as a research engi­neer for Geor­gia Tech Research Insti­tute and cre­ated her own start-up com­pany, Sani­va­tion, to focus on solar treat­ment of human waste and con­ver­sion to char­coal in Kenya. She plans on using her time at ERG to research far­ther devel­op­ment of feces to energy.

FORMER MEMBERS

KIT ELSWORTHM.S. BUILDING SCIENCEDESIGN DIRECTOR

Kit's research focuses on studying indoor environmental quality of buildings and methods of producing desirable indoor environments in an energy and resource efficient manner. In addition, Kit has researched the design and performance of passive cooling techniques and is interested in existing building commissioning. Before returning to graduate school, Kit worked as a sustainability consultant, providing design phase consulting for architectural design teams.

CHRIS DETJENM.ARCHITECTURE

As a Master of Architecture student, Chris is interested in designing beautiful, functional structures that make the most of natural sources of light and heat. Previously Chris worked in the energy efficiency sector, where he built demonstration programs that showcase the capabilities of efficient lighting and lighting control technologies. At Berkeley, he plans to continue working with light (both natural and artificial) as a means of improving energy performance and aesthetic experience in buildings.